As family members celebrated what would have been Trey Leon Lee’s 25th birthday Thursday, posting baby photographs of him on social media and taking balloons to his gravesite, police charged a Des Moines man they said fatally shot him last March.

Alonzo Marlon Gibbs, 24, was charged Thursday with first-degree murder in the killing of Lee, who was one of two people shot during a sunny afternoon March 17 in the 1200 block of 15th Place in the city’s King Irving neighborhood. Lee, whose girlfriend was pregnant with their second son, was rushed to, and later died at, a local hospital.

Gibbs had been in custody on federal firearms charges when he was arrested Thursday at the federal courthouse for Lee’s murder. His trial related to the gun charges ended Thursday in his acquittal.

Police responded to reports of a shooting at about 4 p.m. that day to find Lee had been shot at least once in his upper torso and a 24-year-old Des Moines man had been shot in the foot. More than two people fired shots when a dispute broke out after about four people were involved in narcotics activity, Sgt. Paul Parizek said.

Evidence showed Gibbs fired the shot that killed Lee, police said. Although Lee may have been involved in drug activity that afternoon, he did not deserve to die, Parizek said.

“The penalty for dope isn’t the death penalty; it isn’t murder,” he said.

During interviews Thursday, family members described Lee as a loving father who cared for his 7-year-old son, Trey’Mier, and his girlfriend’s son, who was about the same age. She was pregnant with their second son when he was killed. Lee’s 33-year-old cousin, Amber Lee, told the Register that son was born about five months ago and was also named after his father: Trey Lee II. Amber described Lee’s girlfriend as his soulmate.

Trey Leon Lee(Photo: Special to the Register)

Family members had just arrived at the home of Lee’s father, Montez Lee, 55, of Des Moines, when a Register reporter informed him that an arrest had been made. He told other family members in the room the news, who expressed joy.

“Are you serious?” one excitedly asked in the background. Police had informed other family members before announcing the murder charge.

Montez Lee's only child would have turned 25 on Thursday. Family members shared baby photographs of him on social media to celebrate the date and were thinking about him before the arrest. Lee's grandmother, Sherry Lee, said some family members hollered in delight as she spoke to them on the phone from her Kansas City, Mo., home; Montez described the news as a “sweet birthday present.”

“We got his killer,” Montez Lee said about the allegations against Gibbs.

Lee, who worked at a roofing and remodeling company, had big, welcoming eyes, Sherry Lee said. He preferred hugs over handshakes and had a pleasant smile. He frequently attended his children’s wrestling matches and basketball and football games. “Go son, go!” he shouted during sporting events, according to his obituary.

The last 10 months have been frustrating for Lee’s father, who said the killing broke his heart. Lee never met his second biological son, and left behind a host of family members. The family believed they knew who shot Lee, but waited for police to complete their investigation and make an arrest.

Lee's grandmother expressed gratitude to Des Moines police, and his father said he was glad Gibbs was locked up.

Authorities suspected Gibbs and another man in the fatal shooting. The county attorney’s office previously declined to prosecute the case, mostly because of uncooperative witnesses, Parizek said.

Amber said she and her children were having a candlelit vigil Thursday night to remember Lee, and she planned to visit his grave Sunday at Glendale Cemetery. Her 14-year-old daughter still has photographs and a T-shirt with Lee’s face on it in her room; the two were close. Amber was angry for months because Lee’s killing went unsolved, but she expressed great relief Thursday.

“It took a minute, but it finally got here,” she said.

Gibbs was arrested on the gun charges in May, two months after Lee's slaying, when Des Moines police said they saw him run from a vehicle he in into a house and found a stolen weapon in the backseat of the car.

He has been convicted of multiple drug offenses, according to online court records. A criminal complaint from a 2016 marijuana arrest claimed Gibbs was a known member of the Heavy Hittas gang.